Zverev shocks world no. 2 after scary moment
Alexander Zverev has no chance against Carlos Alcaraz in Madrid and New York. At the ATP Finals, however, the Spaniard, number 2 in the world rankings, loses out. The German top player is thus heading for the semi-finals at the end of the tennis season.
Alexander Zverev spread his arms out with a smile and waved liberated to the Turin crowd: the Olympic champion caused a big surprise at the start of the ATP Finals and demystified Carlos Alcaraz. The 26-year-old from Hamburg defeated the second seeded Wimbledon winner from Spain 6:7 (3:7), 6:3, 6:4 and decisively opened the door to the semi-finals. Even a fall in the third set did not throw Zverev off his rhythm.
"I'm happy to be back here. I missed it a lot last year," said Zverev after his surprising success. In 2022, Zverev had to miss out due to injury. "I knew I had to serve well today. I managed to do that. I'm happy to have my first win in the bag," said Zverev, who hit 16 aces.
Zverev, who caused a moment of shock in the third set and briefly brought back memories of his horror injury in Paris for the spectators, had started the prestigious year-end event as the clear underdog. His participation alone can be seen as a success in his comeback year after the serious foot injury. The 2018 and 2021 tournament winner, who outclassed Alcaraz with his service and better balance of risk and safety, will face Russia's Daniil Medvedev and Andrey Rublev in the group stage. The top two make it through to the semi-finals.
Four break points missed
"I'm just enjoying being one of the eight best players in the world and being able to compete with them," he said before the start at the Pala Alpitour in the knowledge that the tournament really suits him: Hard court, indoors with no external wind influences, two sets. He also proved this against Alcaraz, who had clearly shown the German top player his limits twice before this season. The current world number seven from Germany had not won a set in either the last 16 of the Masters in Madrid or the quarter-finals of the US Open.
In Turin, however, Zverev created his chances right from the start with a strong serve and an initially lower error rate than Alcaraz - but then missed four break points at 3:3. Then the Spaniard, who had weakened somewhat in recent months, was suddenly there and showed his class. At the start of the second set, Alcaraz then lost his confidence again, made simple mistakes and Zverev quickly pulled away to 3:0. He finally sealed the set win with three aces in one game. After a break to 3:2 in the deciding set, Zverev fell and briefly grimaced. But he fought his way through and celebrated his success.
Zverev now has a day off on Tuesday before things get serious again on Wednesday. Instead, the parallel group with Novak Djokovic is now back in action, with the Serb facing South Tyrolean Jannik Sinner on Tuesday evening (9 p.m./Sky) and Stefanos Tsitsipas and Boris Becker's protégé Holger Rune in the afternoon (2.30 p.m.).
Alexander Zverev's victory over Carlos Alcaraz at the ATP Finals was a surprise, as they had previously struggled against each other. Just a few months ago, Zverev had lost to Alcaraz in both Madrid and New York.
Despite being the underdog, Zverev's impressive serving and smart risk-taking helped him beat the second-seeded Alcaraz at the ATP Finals, securing a spot in the semi-finals and showcasing his tennis skills in tennis.
Source: www.ntv.de
